Method of making printing-surfaces for color-printing.



UNITED STATES Fatented November 24, 1903.

CHARLES G. SUNERGREN,'OF ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF MAKING PRINTING-SURFACES FOR COLOR-PRINTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,263, dated November 24, 1903.

Application filed July 9, 1903. Serial No. 164,902. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES G. SUNER- GREN, of Arlington, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Printing- Surfaces for Color-Printing, of which the following is a specification.

In ordinary reproduction of color-plates or other printing-surfaces for multicolor printing it is common to either cut away byhand, scrape, wash out, or otherwise obliterate parts or portions of the key plate or drawing not wanted or to reproduce by some process of tracing or transfer which is uncertain in results. In the case of transfer by any of the old and ordinary processes the transfer of the portion desired has necessarily been of the same size as called for by the final result, and in some cases the original has had to be of the same size as the finished result, which is very undesirable for getting the best results.

For very small and delicate Work it is impossible to make the drawings or transfer for the separate colors sufficiently fine and accurate for the reproduction of the original.

The object of the present invention is to obviate the chance of incorrect registration and also to obviate the necessity of any so-called handwork whatever on the platesthat is, any cutting away by hand or other handwork, as noted above; also, to enable the transfer to be made of any size desired regardless of the size of the original drawing or of the final result, the object of the transfer by this method being to make the separate color plates or surfaces for each separate color as called for in the original in such manner as to require no handwork whatsoever in removing surplus material, as my method of transferring will avoid the production of any printing-surface not wanted, although all the transfers are made from the same key-drawing.

The invention consists in the method which will now be fully described and the novel features of which will be particularly pointed out in the claims at the close of the specification.

A key drawing or tracing is made in black ink from the original color sketch, and on that key drawing or tracing are made register-marks. From this key-drawing a keyplate is made by any suitable process. From this key-plate impressions are made on paper or'other substance having a surface which can be drawn upon, as many in number as there to be colors in the finished print. On each one of the surfaces containing these impressions there is to be drawn the portion of the original which is in one of the colors, each sheet containing a different portion that is, the first sheet or surface will have drawn on it the portion which is in one color in the original, the second sheet will have the portion which is in another color, and so on until each portion is drawn on separate sheets or surfaces, so that the whole when printed will give the rendering of the original in perfect registration. The drawings on the several sheets should be in black or in some color which will easily photograph. The impressions from the key-plate should be either in blue or in some other color which cannot be reproduced by photography, or which will at most be less sensitive to reproduction by the ordinary methods of photography than the color in which the drawings on the impression-sheets are made, although the impressions themselves are visible to the eye. Such impressions are what is meant hereinafter by the phrase practically non photographable. drawings thus made relief -plates or other printing-surfaces are made by any suitable process. Each one of the plates thus made will contain in relief only such portion as is necessary for the particular color intended, there being no waste or surplus printing-surface to be removed from the plate. From the several plates thus obtained prints can be made to get the rendering of the original in its several colors by using different-colored inks as called for by the original.

I fully understand that there have been.

other methods of transferring in use and that impressions have been made in various colors, also that transferring has been made from key-plates; but, so far as I am aware, no one has made from the key-plate non-photographable impressions and on these non-photo- From the several ICO graphable impressions made'photographable drawings for making separate color-plates for multicolor-printing.

While I have especially described the invention as used in making relief-plates, it is to be understood that the invention can be applied in the making of other printin "surfaces.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. In making photo-engraved relief-plates or other printing-surfaces for color-printing, making a key-plate and making from the keyplate on surfaces which can be drawn upon impressions which are visible to the eye, but practicallynon-photographable,substantially as described.

2. In the process of making photo-engraved relief-plates or other printing-surfaces for color-printing, making from a key-plate as many separate impressions on surfaces which can be drawn upon as there are to be colors in the finished print, which are visible, but practically non-photographable, then drawing in some photographable color on the several impressions thus obtained the portions representing the several colors, each sheet having drawn thereon only the portion which stands for one color. I

The herein-described method of making photo-engraved relief -plates or other printing-surfaces for color-printing, consisting of making from a key-plate impressions equal in number to the colors in the final print, said impressions being visible but practically nonphotographable, then drawing in some photographable color on the several impressions thus obtained the portions representing the several colors, each surface having drawn thereon only the portion which stands for one color, and making relief-plates or printingsurfaoes from the several drawings thus produced, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES G. SUNERGREN.

\Vitnesses:

XVILLIAM A. COPELAND, L. B. FoLsoM. 

